California’s Population Growth Reaches Record Lows as 135k Residents Flee Declining State
Richard Moorhead
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California’s population grew at the slowest pace in 120 years of the state’s history, with the Golden State adding a net 21,200 residents in fiscal year 2020.
The state’s minuscule growth is entirely from new births, with a massive exodus of California residents fleeing the declining state. A net total of 135,600 Californians left the state for greener pastures, a figure derived when accounting for departures weighed against new arrivals. The state increased its population by a meager 0.05%, a significant decline from 2019’s growth of .23%.
A halt in international movement played a role in California netting it lowest growth since the year 1900, with the state largely reliant on an inflow of illegal immigrant laborers to grow its population for decades. The coronavirus has also rendered a toll on the state, with major cities such as Los Angeles suffering the ongoing worst outbreak of the virus in the United States in November.
Major businesses have begun seeking an alternative to Silicon Valley, with megabillionaire Elon Musk recently leading a mass exodus of technology figures and companies to Texas. The Tesla CEO ripped the Democrat-dominated state as “entitled,” predicting that the power and influence of Silicon Valley would continue to decline.
The former middle class has led the way in packing up shop, with Silicon Valley tech billionaires largely replacing them in forming the state’s tax base. California ranks 48th in a state index of economic inequality, largely divided between the ultra-wealthy technology professional class and the urban poor.
California is on the verge of losing more residents than it gains, a phenomenon unprecedented in the once idyllic state’s history. The state was once the most inviting in the country, but decades of high taxes, astronomical housing prices, pro-illegal immigration laws and economic inequality have rendered their toll.
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